Materials & Structures

Engages in research, development, and flight application of advanced materials, structures, and mechanisms for aerospace systems, with activities ranging from materials research at nanoscale to design and testing of structures and mechanical systems for aeronautics and space flight programs.

Research and development activities are focused on developing enabling technologies for high-performance, long-life, and lightweight aerospace systems subjected to extreme environments encountered in propulsion and power, planetary entry, planetary surface operations, and space environment.

Implements specialized and unique test capabilities to test durability of materials and structural components in extreme environments, which include combination of high temperature, mechanical loads, and complex gaseous atmospheres ranging from oxidizing to reducing and vacuum atmosphere; large dynamic and impact loads; molten material deposits on components; cryogenic temperatures; and space environment.

Chief: James J. ZakrajsekDeputy Chief: Joyce A. Dever

Technical Focus Areas

Ceramic and Polymer Composites

Focuses on advancing both ceramic matrix and polymer matrix composites technology through development of constituent materials, innovative textile architectures, and fabrication processes; understanding failure mode and damage mechanisms through testing under controlled experiments simulating the thermomechanical loading and harsh environmental conditions representative of the application; developing physics-based models for failure modes and damage mechanisms relating constituent properties and microstructure to damage, and applying models for design of composite components.

Facilities include many specialized laboratories: fiber testing; high temperature testing under combination of complex mechanical loading and a variety of gaseous environment such as oxygen, moisture, inert atmosphere, and vacuum; testing of sub-elements with design features under complex loading; and mechanical testing with digital image correlation for measuring full field deformation.

Environmental Effects and Coatings

Conducts research to understand, predict, and demonstrate materials interactions with the harsh environments encountered in aerospace systems, and develops mitigation strategies such as coatings and materials application processes promoting long-term environmental durability and survivability.

Research and development includes fundamental and empirical modeling of environmental interaction, development of physics-based models and validation of models through harsh-environment exposure testing, and the conception, development, and demonstration of protective coatings and engineered materials at all technology readiness levels.

Development and application of high temperature alloys focus on increasing temperature capability of gas turbine engine components and demonstrating long-term durability of space nuclear power components.

Research on shape memory alloy is directed toward development of lightweight actuation systems for adaptive structures.

Conducts research on advanced metals and alloys with tailored properties, such as electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and magnetic properties.

Research and development effort for all materials include development of new alloys through understanding the interrelationships among processing, microstructure, and properties; understanding and modeling failure modes and damage mechanisms under combination of complex loading and harsh environments; and demonstrating long-term durability under conditions representative of the application.

Materials Chemistry and Physics

Engaged in the development and application of novel ceramic and polymer materials with tailored structural, thermal, electrical, semiconducting, electrochemical, dielectric, optical, magnetic, and acoustic properties.

Unique material properties are sought by innovative processing techniques and microstructural engineering at the molecular and nanoscale.

Mechanisms and Tribology

Performs fundamental as well as application specific research and development to advance NASA programmatic and technological goals in the areas of space and aircraft mechanisms; tribology for aerospace environments; advanced bearings; terramechanics and robotics for planetary surface mobility and excavation; large deployable structures for solar arrays and antennae; and advanced seals for turbine, thermal barrier, space habitat, and structural applications.

Multiscale and Multiphysics Modeling

Responsible for physics-based models, stochastic methods and the associated multiscale computational design, analysis, and optimization tools (spanning multiple length and time scales) required to make these models accessible to the engineering and material science communities.

Develops multi-physics and multiscale models that include the interaction of structures with other physical phenomena. New models and applications include fluid-structure interaction for aeroelasticity of turbomachinery for aircraft engine, space propulsion, and power; modeling of smart/active structures with shape memory alloys or piezoelectric materials; modeling spaceflight induced bone loss; and structure-electromagnetic interactions in multifunctional structures for lightning protection.

Responsible for developing and applying new probabilistic tools and computational models/methods to improve understanding in materials processing including guiding the development of new experimental capabilities and the development of multifunctional and active/adaptive structural concepts.

Rotating and Drive Systems

Conducts research, development, design and testing of advanced rotating components and systems for current and future aerospace systems.

Encompasses all aspects of aerospace rotating systems from basic research and development of advanced components through the design and testing of full concept and flight systems.

Fundamental as well as application specific research is pursued as needed to advance NASA programmatic and technological goals. Research efforts include novel mechanical drive components and system concepts; gear noise and dynamics; lubrication and durability; condition based maintenance; and structural and materials concepts for efficient, ultra-high power density electric machines and electric drive systems for future turboelectric and hybrid electric aircraft.

Performs conceptual mechanical design; detailed design; coordination of fabrication, integration, and checkout of rotating systems hardware for flight as well as facility applications.

Structural Dynamics

Provides design and analysis, research and development, and test and evaluation engineering products and services to address structural dynamic challenges associated with aerospace systems.

Primary work areas involve loads; dynamic modeling; modal analysis and test; analysis and testing of vibration, acoustic, shock, impact, and dynamic environments; development of mitigation strategies for vibration, acoustics, shock, and impact; application and validation of modeling tools to predict response of structures to impact dynamic loading; development of structural concepts and technologies to reduce weight of energy-absorbing structures for aerospace systems including launch vehicles, human and robotic spacecraft, and turbine engine and other propulsion subsystems and components.